Best projects and LIFE Awards

Finalists

Every year, the European Commission assess all completed LIFE projects based on various criteria:

contribution to immediate and long-term environmental, economic and social improvements
degree of innovation and transferability
relevance to policy
cost-effectiveness.

The most successful LIFE projects subsequently become finalists, and compete in the LIFE Awards.

The LIFE Awards ceremony

The LIFE Awards recognise the most innovative, inspirational and effective LIFE projects in three categories: nature protection, environment and climate action. The winners are selected by an expert jury and announced on the day of the ceremony, which takes place during the EU Green Week – Europe’s biggest environmental event.

Also, the LIFE Citizens’ Prize allows the general public to get to know the finalists and vote for their preferred project online.

LIFE Awards 2023 winners and finalists

NATURE PROTECTION 

LIFE Luchs Pfälzerwald: Reintroduction of lynxes in the Palatinate Forest Biosphere Reserve  (LIFE Award 2023 NATURE winner)
LIFE IAS Free Habitats: Improving and maintaining the conservation status of three of the rarest and most vulnerable natural forest and grassland habitat types in Bulgaria 
LIFE Lech: Conserving the natural dynamics of the Lech River system and surrounding riparian landscapes

ENVIRONMENT 

LIFE Plants for Plants: Introducing new organic biostimulants into conventional agriculture (LIFE Award 2023 ENVIRONMENT winner)
LIFE TECMINE: Improving mine restoration activities in Mediterranean forest areas by testing innovative and highly transferable restoration techniques  (LIFE Citizens Award 2023 winner)
LIFE-FOODWASTEPREV: Changing attitudes to food waste in Hungary

CLIMATE ACTION 

LIFE METRO ADAPT: Mainstreaming climate change adaptation strategies and measures in the new territorial plan of the Metropolitan City of Milan (LIFE Award 2023 CLIMATE winner)
LIFE Peat Restore: Reducing CO2 emissions by restoring degraded peatlands in Northern European Lowland
U-MOB LIFE: Creating a European Network for Sustainable Mobility at Universities, with 85 members from 11 countries

More information

If you want to know more about the LIFE Awards 2023, check out the event notice.

Previous editions

Find out more about previous best projects and LIFE Awards winners:

Links

Documents